Paulo Dybala’s improved fitness this season has been linked to a new training programme designed to balance his physical workload and reduce the muscle injuries that have disrupted his career.
The Roma forward has played 406 minutes in Serie A, averaging 82 minutes per match, placing him at the top of a playing-time list that would have been difficult to predict in August. After Bryan Cristante and Mario Hermoso, Dybala is the latest player highlighted in the ranking.
The 32-year-old has been one of Roma’s most impressive performers under Gian Piero Gasperini, showing increasing sharpness as the season has progressed. Dybala first worked with Gasperini in his early twenties at Palermo, when he embraced the demands of professional football with enthusiasm.
He has now rediscovered the agility of his younger years in Sicily, while adding the experience that comes with age. That combination has become an important part of Roma’s push for the title.
“He still has the passion for playing, and you can see he’s in great form,” Gasperini said at the Sports Festival on Monday.
“In recent years, he was quite injury-prone, constantly battling muscle problems. I always believed the root cause was his training regimen. People used to tell me his muscles were as fragile as silk.
“But he has an excellent physical foundation, and now that his training is properly structured, his early-season performance has been outstanding; he hasn’t missed a minute.”
Dybala trained throughout the international break with the rest of the Roma squad. His finishing has also improved, addressing a weakness that had reduced his effectiveness in previous months.
Gasperini’s appointment played a decisive role in Dybala’s decision to remain at Roma. Following an injury-hit season that had restricted his contribution since the Mourinho era, he accepted a 50% pay cut and rejected the possibility of returning to Juventus.
Gasperini has made clear that Dybala will not receive special treatment. “As long as he’s fit, he must play,” he said. Roma are not concerned about rotating him simply to avoid a possible recurrence of injury.
A major part of the change has been the work of fitness specialist Alessandro Pirati, whom Gasperini brought to Roma last summer after their previous collaboration at Genoa. During 22 years at Genoa, Pirati helped players including Thiago Motta and Perotti regain their form.
Dybala has placed complete trust in Pirati, whose programme includes daily Pilates work. The player and his wife Oriana also use Pilates equipment at home, allowing him to train either without resistance or with adjustable elastic bands.
Previously, Dybala combined Roma’s team sessions with privately hired physiotherapists and fitness coaches. Pirati instead brought the work together at Trigoria, ensuring that every aspect of the player’s training is overseen by Roma’s staff.
That structure allows the club to coordinate GPS data and fatigue monitoring while avoiding conflicting programmes and excessive physical strain. The focus is not simply on maximum strength, but on muscular balance and proprioception.
Through postural work and dynamic exercises, Dybala has learned to distribute the load across his body more evenly. The approach has reduced the minor recurring muscle injuries that affected him in recent seasons, helped him complete pre-season and produced the results now being seen on the pitch.
